Left 4 Dead: Survival
by moviebuffgirl
Summary: The Green Flu Outbreak has hit Savannah. The Survivor group is composed of six members, not four, and they have to make their way to New Orleans if they want to stay true to their name and survive. Features seven new 'campaigns' that run parallel to the Left 4 Dead 2 storyline. Nick x OC and Ellis x OC. Rated T, but may change for later chapters.
1. Dead Line: Chapter 1

_Dead Line – Chapter One_

"C'mon, Lisa! Whirlybird's leaving!"

Lisa tried not to frown at her older brother as they made their way up the hotel's emergency stairwell.

"I'm coming as fast as I can, Ellis," she told him, but she might as well have been talking to a brick wall.

Lisa followed Ellis up the stairs, aware that there were several other people ahead of them. Lisa gripped the banister and let her fingers slid along the cool metal, wishing that they had installed an escalator instead.

She heard the creak of a metal door ahead, and she sighed in relief.

"C'mon Lisa!" Ellis urged her, becoming more excitable. "We're nearly there!"

Sure enough they saw the bright swath of sunlight streaming from the stairway exit.

_Finally, finally we can get away from this nightmare_, Lisa thought. Her hopes were dashed when she heard several cries of "Come back!" and "There's still people on the roof!"

"Aw, we didn't make it?" Ellis walked over to the group, seeing the large helicopters pull up into the sky and away from the rooftop.

_Five minutes too late_, Lisa thought miserably. _Five minutes. Maybe if we hadn't stopped...no. Mom and Dad don't deserve to be walking around like one of those things. It was only right_.

Ellis and Lisa lived in Savannah. Ellis, was 23 years old, and was an auto-mechanic who ran a repair shop. Lisa was a year younger than her brother, and served as the owner-slash-waitress of the small eatery beside it. The two siblings lived together with Ellis's two friends, Dave and Keith, but they visited their parents every Sunday.

Ellis and Lisa both have blonde hair (except hers was more brownish blonde), blue eyes, and a sturdy, athletic build. They were often mistaken for twins, especially when they were younger. Ellis was the more vocal of the two, while Lisa liked to keep things to herself.

Now she felt like screaming.

"Ya think they saw us?" Ellis wondered out loud.

"They saw us, alright, and they're not coming back," one of the people on the roof said sarcastically. The man who spoke was tall, with slightly curly black hair. He was wearing an expensive-looking white suit and was standing beside a girl a few years older than Lisa.

"Well this puts the kibosh on our plans," the girl replied. "I told you we shouldn't have tried rescuing Anna. We barely escaped your girlfriend's attack."

"She was not my girlfriend," the man snapped, and the girl smirked.

"Yeah, right."

"The choppers looked like they're headin' to the mall," the chubby dark-skinned man said. "It's not far; I can take you there."

_Finally. Someone with a plan_, Lisa thought, shaking her hair back. Her movement caught the man's eye, who turned towards her and studied her for a moment.

"Ellis, they have some weapons over here," Lisa called, ignoring the fact that the man in the suit was checking her out. She'd dealt with men like him before.

"Aw hell yes!" Ellis hurried over to the table, picking up two P220 pistols and a first aid kit, which he strapped to his back.

Lisa chose a fire axe and took one of the few remaining first aid kits.

"I sure hope you all know how to fight," Suit muttered as they went back down the stairwell. He was holding a crowbar and looking positively negative about the whole situation. "You don't look it."

_I've been shooting a gun since I was five_, Lisa thought, her expression darkening. _I can take you on any time_.

In the short time they've spent on the rooftop, a fire had broken out in the hotel. Lisa could hear the flames cracking, and she stepped forward and opened the door.

"Jumpin' Jehosaphat! What are these things?"

Lisa, who had watched countless of zombie movies with her brother, knew what they were. Instead of replying, however, she swung her axe at one of the Infected, the blade sinking into the wooden wall. She wrenched it free and embedded the blade on another Infected's skull, feeling the flesh give way beneath the blade.

"It's zombies!" Ellis exclaimed. "I knew them movies were true!"

"This map does not look good!" Suit called from the next room. Lisa entered and saw a series of maps and drawings spread out over a long table. The largest map was of the entire country, and Lisa noticed that the west coast was almost covered with huge red X's.

"Looks like the only safe place is New Orleans," she said, and Suit's companion turned to look at her.

"Apparently. We need to get to New Orleans! Ugh, I hate creole fashions," the girl said, and Lisa resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Lisa turned and joined her brother in the hallway. The two looked at each other.

"We need to go to New Orleans, Ellis," Lisa whispered. "Should we stick with them, or-?"

"Aw, we should stay together, Lisa." Ellis smiled at her. "Don't worry. I'm sure they're good people."

Lisa doubted it; she certainly didn't like Suit and his companion. But she agreed, turning to see the three other people come up behind them.

"Where's he going?" the girl asked, frowning. Lisa looked over her shoulder and saw Ellis jog over to the elevators.

"Ellis," Lisa hissed, pivoting on her heel and going after her brother. It was then when she heard an ungodly howl, and felt something heavy slam on her side. A split second later she was pummeled to the ground. "Ellis!"

"One arm!" Ellis cried, firing his pistols at the Charger. The three others darted forward, with Suit sinking the sharp claw of his crowbar into the Charger's vulnerable neck. It keeled forward, crushing Lisa with its thick body.

Lisa felt someone wrap his (or her) arms over her armpits and yank her out from under the Charger. She looked up to see Suit staring back at her.

"Let's get you on your feet," he told her, smirking.

"Thank you," Lisa answered. Ellis approached her, while Suit's companion shot down several Infected that were loitering in the adjoining hallway.

"I'm sorry Lisa," Ellis mumbled. "I just wanted to check if the elevators were working."

"It's okay. Next time don't wander off, okay?" She smiled at Ellis's face relaxed visibly.

The last and final member of their little group, a dark-skinned female with her hair up in a tightly braided bun, took the lead, along with Suit. They both gave surprised yells when a portion of the ceiling collapsed, blocking their path.

"I guess they don't want us to go this way," the woman said. The two saw a utility door and opened it; Lisa heard several gunshots go off, and then the woman poked her head outside. "We need to get on the ledge."

The others entered the room one by one. Lisa spotted a bottle of pain pills and took it.

"Defib unit here!" Ellis called. When nobody made a move to pick it up, Ellis shrugged. "Alright, fine then. I'll hold it."

Ellis unstrapped his first aid kit and slung the defib unit over his shoulder. He caught Lisa's gaze and grinned; Lisa smiled and shook her head.

Suit smashed the glass window and stepped out onto the ledge. The fire had now spread into the hotel rooms, but the group managed to salvage several items, such as a few adrenaline shots and a bottle of what looked like Boomer puke.

"I am not touching that," Suit's companion said, raising her hands and backing away. Lisa hooked the bottle to her belt and followed the girl back out onto the ledge.

They managed to find a room that wasn't on fire yet, and after killing some Infected hotel guests – or evacuees, they weren't sure which – they ended back in the hallway.

"Back down the stairs, people!" the oldest man called, waving a meaty hand towards the steel door of the stairwell. Just as he rested his hand on the doorknob, something banged against the door, causing him to jump.

Maniacal laughter wafted from behind the door.

"I don't like the sound of that," Suit murmured, but he raised his crowbar anyway. The door withstood a few more powerful knocks before a hunchbacked Infected came hopping into view. Spotting the braided woman, he gave a gleeful cackle and jumped on her shoulders.

"Get this thing off my head!" she shrieked, and Suit's companion slammed the flat side of her fire axe on the Jockey's body, shoving it off of Braids. "Thanks."

"No problem." Suit's companion glanced at Ellis, who was checking the stairwell.

"All clear, y'all," Ellis said, and Lisa walked with her brother down to the next floor. Thankfully there were no fires (yet) on this floor, and the group made their way to the elevator lobby.

"This one's working!" Ellis announced, and after dispatching the usual small population of Infected, the group converged inside the elevator. "This some sorta nightmare? Goddamn zombie apocalypse and shit. Shit, shit, shit. What the hell we gonna do?"

"Settle down, son, we're going to be okay," the oldest man said. "What's your name?"

"Ellis. My name's Ellis," her brother replied. "This here's my baby sister, Lisa."

Lisa raised her hand and smiled thinly at the others. She set the axe down on the ground and leaned against the elevator wall.

"Name's Nick, but don't bother learning it because I don't plan on sticking around long." Suit rubbed his nose and glanced at Lisa, who looked away.

"Alexandra," Suit's companion offered. "But I prefer to be called Erza. I'm Nick's cousin, and yeah, I don't plan on staying with you guys long."

"Name's Rochelle." Braids nodded at the others.

"My friends call me Coach. I guess y'all can do the same." Coach faced the elevator doors again. "All right, enough chat. Get ready."

Lisa found Coach's last statement ironic, considering none of them were even talking to each other. But she raised her axe and watched as Ellis and Coach pried the elevator doors open.

"Ah, shit!" Nick swore from behind her.

The entire first floor was a raging inferno, and they could barely make out a clear path through the flames. But the fire was the least of their problems; the noise caused by the elevator doors had attracted a huge amount of Infected.

Lisa spotted a silenced submachine gun on the floor and grabbed it. The horde flowed down the hallway, their arms outstretched and their lips pulled away from their mouths in a permanent grimace. Some were frothing up copious amounts of blood, while others were sporting wounds and had several missing limbs.

Lisa, Ellis, Erza, and Nick all fired at the horde, while Rochelle and Coach cut down any Infected that managed to slip past the hail of bullets.

"Great, zombies in hazmat suits," Rochelle muttered darkly, kicking at the corpse of a CEDA worker in a bright yellow hazmat suit.

"There's a security room here," Erza called.

"Check it for supplies, we might find something useful in there," Coach said.

Lisa felt uneasy using the silenced submachine gun, so she followed Erza inside, hoping to find a shotgun. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw three chrome shotguns inside the small metal cabinet. She grabbed one, plus several shells.

Erza raised her eyebrow. "You sure know how to wield a gun."

"I'm a Southerner," Lisa answered, as if that explained everything. Apparently it did, because Erza smirked and went out of the room.

Once the two women had rejoined the group, they set out down the hallway. Ellis kicked open the door that led to the kitchens, and they saw that they could jump over the metal preparation table. Coach went first, followed by Nick, Erza, Ellis, Rochelle, and finally, Lisa.

"This place is burning up fast!" Nick cried, and Lisa nearly bumped into him as she made her way towards her brother.

"Well, let's find a way out!" Coach called back.

"Door!" Ellis announced, and he and Lisa were the first ones out of the kitchen. The entire lobby was aflame, and Lisa coughed as she inhaled the acrid smoke. Several Infected rushed at the siblings, and their guns barked continuously.

"Nice job!" Coach praised, as he walked past the two.

Ellis grinned, and Lisa gave a small smile. Coach managed to find a clear path through the lobby. They reached a side room that had a table with several items, which the others snagged. Lisa unhooked the bottle of Boomer bile and flung it into the check-in area, causing the Infected that were milling about to chase after it, no doubt attracted by the liquid.

The group fired at the small group of zombies, which were too busy clawing at the green smoke to notice their presence. Once the last Infected fell to the ground, the Survivors filed into the room; Nick and Ellis scanned the area while Coach and the three females hurried inside the safe room, which was on the other end.

"Ellis!" Lisa called. "Get in here, now!"

Ellis and Nick turned at the sound of her voice and made a beeline for the safe room. Nick entered the room first, but just as Ellis reached the door, something slimy and gray wound around his waist.

"Noooooo!" Ellis cried, as he was thrown on his back and dragged across the floor. Lisa gave a sharp cry and darted past Nick, who looked startled by this sudden turn of events.

Lisa raised the shotgun and fired at the Smoker, which was about to claw at her brother's head. It exploded with a hacking cough and a puff of disgusting green smoke.

"Ellis," Lisa said, going over to her brother. "Get up!"

Ellis coughed and slowly went on his feet. "Man, what was that thing?"

"Smoker," Nick answered, coming up behind Lisa. "Let's go."

Lisa shot a glance at Nick, who just shrugged. It was then when they heard the others' agitated voices.

"There's still people in here!"

"Don't you even think of fucking leaving us in here!"

"What the hell?" Nick muttered, and they raced back inside the safe room. Ellis and Lisa slammed a metal bar over the door, bracing it, while Nick joined the others.

"They did not just leave us here!" Rochelle put her hands on her hips, exasperated.

"Well they did. Again," Nick frowned.

"What's goin' on?" Ellis asked. "What just happened?"

Erza turned to look at him. "CEDA was evacuating people while we were on the damn rooftop. We just missed the military truck!"

Coach sighed. "All right, let's just get to the mall."

"Ooh, I know a gun store nearby where we can go, get us some real weapons," Ellis offered.

"I guess living here is finally paying off," Nick drawled, while Erza smirked.

"Mister, I don't think I like your attitude," Coach said, frowning at Nick.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

* * *

**Author's Note: If you've read "Left 4 Dead: Patient Zero", then you know how this story's going to be set up. If you haven't, then I suggest you read it first (haha, blatant advertising at its finest). So each campaign is going to be told within several chapters (the last Left 4 Dead fanfic I did was over 10 thousand words long for each campaign, and you might not like reading huge chunks of text at a time), as indicated by the *Name of Campaign: Chapter Number*. Unlike before, I'll be updating each set as soon as I finish, since I'm working on fanfics for Resident Evil, Thor, and The Avengers. Feedback and constructive criticism is appreciated, of course. Hopefully this will be the only AN within this story. ;)**


	2. Dead Line: Chapter 2

Erza rolled her eyes. Her cousin was more pessimistic than usual, but then again, these weren't normal times.

_Why did he even have to drag me all the way to this hick town_? Erza thought, glaring at Nick's back as they followed the other Southerners out of the safe room. _We shouldn't have come here in the first place. We could have been in Las Vegas or even in California, for Christ's sake_!

But Erza knew why: Nick was the only family she had left, and she certainly would've kicked up a fuss if she learned that her older cousin had gone on a trip without her.

Nick and Alexandra – who preferred to be called Erza – grew up in the Bronx, but they eventually moved out of their abusive homes when the former was 24 and Erza was 13. They spent the next 11 years of their lives moving from state to state, where Nick honed his gambling skills.

Erza was more on the scamming side, but eventually entered her cousin's area of expertise. Years of being in and out of jail taught the two never to trust anyone but each other, and right now Erza knew her cousin was struggling just to stay with the group of hicks they were with.

Erza glanced at the silent form beside her (_Lisa_, Erza thought with a wry smile) and watched as the younger girl walked out of the safe room. Erza had noticed her cousin checking Lisa out countless times while they were in the hotel, and Erza was admittedly looking at Lisa's older brother, Ellis.

"Which way to the mall, Coach?" Rochelle asked, downing a CEDA Infected. She gave a shout when Ellis accidentally shot a propane tank that was in one of the tents. "Hey, that better have been an accident!"

"Sorry," Ellis said sheepishly.

"Thata-way," Coach answered, but then paused. "Holy shit."

Erza knew it was going to be something not to their benefit, and she swore. "Fucking hell. Now I'm glad we didn't make the military truck."

As the others joined them, they saw what Coach and Erza were talking about. Several miles down the road, the truck was being swarmed by a horde of Infected, as well as a massive Tank. They could make out the screams of the Survivors amidst the Tank's roars.

"Well, it's safe to say that we won't be safe if we go to the mall," Nick said acidly. "Now what?"

"We can always go in the other direction," Rochelle suggested. "But hey, I'm not from around here, so..."

Erza frowned. "And what's in the 'other direction'? More zombies?"

"There are zombies everywhere, so wherever we go won't make a goddamn difference," Nick told her. "But I am not going to the mall. Did you see what those zombies did to the truck? Fucking totaled it!"

Coach sighed loudly. "Alright, we'll just head down this street, and hopefully we can find someone who can help us."

Erza doubted it, but since she had nothing else to suggest, she followed the older man down the road. A few feet from her, Ellis had placed his arm around Lisa.

"Hey Lisa, it's okay," he murmured in her ear. "Don't you worry about Ma and Pa. They're in a better place."

"Ellis, they shouldn't have…why did they?" she whispered. A tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away. "We could have gotten away, all of us. Why did they do it?"

"Because they wanted us to survive," Ellis replied gently. "Don't beat yourself over this, Lisa. You've got me."

Lisa looked at him and gave a shuddering laugh. "Yeah, I'll always have you, right Ellis?"

"Always. Now come on, I think we group's got a plan." Ellis squeezed her hand gently and the two followed after the other Survivors. "Damn shame about not going to the gun shop, though."

Nick looked over at Ellis. "That would've been like a trip to the candy store. But then again, I'm not legally allowed to own a gun."

"I don't have a problem with that," Coach called from the front. "In times like these, we all need people who know how to use a gun."

The road they were on was littered with several crashed cars, and there were times when they had to go around metal barriers or jump over cars. The sun was shining above their heads, and Erza estimated that it was around noon.

Grumbling, she fished a black rubber band from her pocket and tied her red hair behind her back.

"Do you guys hear that?" Coach said, stopping.

Ellis paused. "Sounds like some girl crying."

"Sounds like Anna," Erza added. When the others looked at her, she shrugged. "Nick's girlfriend was crying just before she attacked us."

"She. Was. Not. My. Girlfriend," Nick hissed through clenched teeth. "Seriously, Alexandra, I am this close to-"

"Quiet!" Lisa scowled at the cousins, who broke off their little argument and simply glared at each other.

Rochelle peered over the side of the nearby hedge. She nearly jumped out of her skin as a scantily clad, extremely pale girl came walking past her.

"Witch!" Rochelle flipped the safety off of the submachine gun that she had picked up inside the safe room. "And she's walking around."

The Survivors backed away slowly, with Nick and Lisa training their guns at the Wandering Witch. The female Infected continued her sobbing, but as she got closer to Coach, who ended up trapped between the hedge and an alarmed car (evident by the flashing red lights), her sobs soon gave way to growls.

"Um, that Witch is getting mad," Rochelle pointed out, as if that wasn't obvious enough.

Coach stood still, his eyes wide. The Wandering Witch was now growling loudly, her arms akimbo. They could all see her sharp claws, which were covered with dried blood. Whether the blood was hers or a Survivor's, they couldn't tell.

A few seconds later Erza heard someone swear softly, and the sudden bark of a shotgun. The Wandering Witch whirled around, screaming.

"Lisa!"

_Stupid move_, Erza thought, as she watched the younger girl run away from the Witch, which was quickly catching up to her.

"Well? Don't just stand there, people! Shoot that bitch!" Coach exclaimed, raising his own shotgun and firing. Erza and Nick raised their silenced submachine guns and shot at the Witch.

Lisa was skirting around the cars, which gave her and the others time to pepper the Witch with bullets. Just as the Wandering Witch's claws grazed Lisa's chest, Ellis delivered the killing shot.

"Howdja do that?" Nick asked, amazed.

Ellis shrugged, giving Nick a goofy grin. He then walked over to Lisa, who was panting from all the running. "Look who's being crazy stupid now."

Lisa threw her brother a Look. "He was in danger."

"You're a little daredevil, aren't you?" Nick commented, sliding a new clip inside his gun. "Next time, try not to be so goddamn heroic."

"Hey, she did save Coach's life," Rochelle argued. "Stop scolding her, Nick."

"Yeah, whatever sweetie." Nick turned away from the group and walked over to his cousin, who was watching the small spectacle with a bored expression on her face. "I say we ditch this group and go on our own."

"And where are we going?" Erza asked him, raising an eyebrow. "In case you didn't notice, Nick, we have no idea where else to go. Those people may be our best bet to reach New Orleans. Of course, things would've been different had we just stayed in Las Vegas…"

"Would you stop harping on about coming here?!" Nick threw his hands up in disgust. "I only thought it'd be fun to see what kind of gambling pools they had in this freaking place."

"Which were practically nonexistent." Erza holstered her gun and crossed her arms. "I don't know about you, cousin, but I'm staying."

Nick raised his eyebrows. This was probably the first time either of them had considered staying with others to survive, and Erza didn't blame him for looking at her like she'd lost her mind. Finally he exhaled loudly and scratched the back of his head.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm with ya," he said.

Erza smirked. "You'd better. Otherwise I'll be forced to come after your sorry ass, no matter how much I'm going to hate it."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Erza."

"Nice comeback, Nicolas."

"Let's go, people!" Coach urged. "We're wasting daylight!"

Erza shrugged and followed the others down the road. Savannah was larger than she expected – and _hot_. She could feel her palms getting sweaty, and she wiped them on her jeans.

Unlike Nick, Erza was wearing a long-sleeved pale green sweatshirt over denim jeans. She hated dressing up, unless it was a new Chanel dress, of course. And that certainly wasn't an outfit to wear during the freaking zombie apocalypse.

"So where do you plan on taking us, Coach?" Rochelle asked as they made their way down the road.

"Dunno," Coach admitted. "But it's much better to keep moving instead of waitin' on salvation that ain't gonna come."

"Amen, Coach," Ellis agreed. "Hey, do you think there's another evacuation center in the city? Because let's face it – Savannah's too big a city to have just two evac centers."

Coach chuckled. "Boy, you got an idea."

"Well, let's just hope we come across one of them soon." Rochelle bit her lip and continued walking.

Beside Ellis, Lisa remembered how she had to bash her father's head in shortly after he had been bitten by Mrs. Norris, and how her brother had to kill their mother when she started showing weird symptoms.

It was hard to imagine that just a few hours ago, Ellis was shaking her awake, saying that there were people running around and screaming. At first Lisa didn't believe him – it was probably one of his and Keith's jokes – but when she heard an ungodly scream outside her bedroom window, Lisa had flung the blankets over her and pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt.

Ellis was still in the room with her, and she had asked him why he wasn't with their parents.

"Dad told me to stay in here with ya," he had answered. When Ellis opened her bedroom door a crack, she had wrenched it open and ran into the living room.

Seconds later she had heard her father scream, followed by the sick sound of flesh tearing. "Mrs. Norris!"

Mrs. Norris was hunched over her father, ripping away at his stomach. It had taken Lisa a few seconds to recover from her shock, but when she did she rushed at the older woman, shoving her off. Mrs. Norris's head hit the sharp corner of the nearby cabinet, and Lisa had heard the woman's skull crack.

"Dad," Lisa had whispered. Her father had looked up at the sound of her voice, and as blood bubbled up from his mouth, he had told her to kill him. "Dad, no."

"You've got to, kiddo," he had gasped. "I can't take the pain. Don't let me die like this. Make it quick."

Lisa's mouth trembled and tears had slid down her cheeks. But she nodded, and stood, taking the skillet from the stove. Ellis had come up behind her, but she hadn't noticed.

"Ellis, take care of her, okay buddy? You two stick together, no matter what. And you survive."

Ellis had nodded, tears slipping down his own cheeks. "Anything you say, pop."

And then Lisa had brought the skillet down on her father's head.

Moments later Lisa felt the skillet slip from her fingers. It make a loud, clanging noise as it hit the floor, but Lisa had buried her face on her brother's chest, sobbing.

"Where's Mom?" she had asked, half-afraid of the answer. Maybe their father had to kill their mother, which was why he had asked Ellis to stay with her.

Lisa's question was answered when their mother ambled into view. But she didn't look human anymore: she had grayish skin, bloodshot, watery eyes, and her fingers were rigid. She slowly edged closer to the two, and Ellis had pushed Lisa behind him protectively.

"Ellis," Lisa began. She wanted to tell Ellis that their mom only needed medical attention, and that they needed to get to the hospital. Before she could do so, however, their mother bent over and started vomiting violently. Soon she had started growling, and it was then when Lisa knew that their mother was dead.

Ellis had moved forward and, using the kitchen knife that was lying near the sink, stabbed their mother under the chin. He had then twisted the blade, and their mother slumped to the floor.

Everything else seemed like a blur: from Ellis telling her that they needed to get to the evac center in The Vannah ("Dad said that they'd been announcing it for the past hour or so," Ellis had explained), to their experiences getting to the hotel.

While Ellis seemed to have gotten over the events of the previous hours – and even looked elated that he was in the midst of a zombie apocalypse – Lisa wasn't feeling too good. They had just killed their parents, seen their neighbors rush at them like they were food, and had joined a group of complete strangers whom they'd probably never have even imagined talking to if it weren't for the outbreak.

"He-hey look! That old hunting store's still open!" Ellis announced, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. For the first time since they left the hotel, the group looked hopeful. Ellis walked over to the front door and opened it; it swung easily on well-oiled hinges. "We're in business! I wonder if Whitaker's gun shop's still open like this one is."

"Jesus, would you look at all these guns?" Rochelle exclaimed in awe. She moved over to a display case filled with AK-47s and assault rifles, and quickly chose the latter.

Nick picked up an assault rifle as well, while Erza and Ellis chose sniper rifles. Coach and Lisa chose shotgun variants (combat and tactical, respectively), which rounded out their group nicely.

"Yo, you think we should leave some money for these?" Ellis asked.

"Hell no, I don't think the owner's going to mind if we grab some guns and go," Nick replied, slinging the assault rifle over his shoulder. "I think he went AWOL."

"Or he's probably dead in the upstairs room," Erza added.

"How d'you know?" Ellis lowered his cap over his head.

"Because there's a bloodstain on the ceiling." Erza pointed at the large, red circle that was getting larger. "The guy had enough firearms to ride this whole thing out, and instead he kills himself. What a moron."

"I bet you anything Whitaker's holed up in that small attic of his," Ellis declared.

"Oh really? How much are you willing to bet?" Nick grinned.

Erza rolled her eyes. "He was just joking, Nick."

Nick looked like he wanted to throw another vicious verbal jab at his cousin, but finally decided against it. Coach and Ellis found the door that led to the second room of the gun store and went up. Lisa watched as her brother went up the stairs, while Erza and Nick hesitantly watched the store front.

Rochelle managed to find some laser sights, which the four quickly attached to their weapons. They heard Ellis and Coach moving around, and finally the sound of their footsteps as they walked back down to join the others.

"Blew his brains out," Ellis said, as Coach closed the door with a solemn look on his face. "Poor guy."

Coach nodded. "Better get going, then."

One by one, the Survivors filed out of the gun store and back onto the road. Erza felt more confident moving through the city with a better gun, and she even took out some zombies using her rifle.

Ellis and Coach led the group down another street, which was, according to Ellis, the school district. He pointed some of the sights along the way, and Erza found herself wondering if the guy was even aware that they were in a city full of goddamn zombies.

"And then there's where me and my sister went to kindergarten," Ellis continued. "I remember this one time, Lisa was sent to the principal's office because she punched this kid who was making fun of her, and then I had to go down and get her because she was so scared-"

"Hey Ellis? Why don't you tell us about the time you shut up?" Nick said, frowning at the Southerner.

"Okay," Ellis conceded, finally stopping his story in mid-sentence. Erza glanced at her cousin, who gave her a look that clearly said _Thank god_.

Ellis may be cute, but he certainly was annoying.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Alexandra?"

Erza groaned and threw Nick a scathing look. "It's Erza, Nick. God you know how much I hate my name!"

"Not gonna happen sweetie," Nick told her. "You'll always be ickle Alexandra to me. Wait, make that _fickle_ Alexandra."

Erza rolled her eyes. "Just focus on finding some zombies, will you?"

Nick smirked. "Fine by me."

Erza glanced at Ellis before joining her cousin in strafing the right side of the street. Their line of sight showed a handful Infected, but since most of these were too busy puking up blood, leaning against walls, and, in the case of two female zombies, fighting each other, the cousins didn't bother wasting their bullets.

They didn't even know how far the next ammo dump was.


	3. Dead Line: Chapter 3

Lisa scooted closer to Rochelle. The older girl had been telling her about her job before the outbreak, while Lisa confided in Rochelle about what happened in their home.

She normally wasn't the person who opened up to strangers – Ellis was – but she figured that she and Rochelle would be traveling together for some time.

Besides, it was nice to meet another female. Lisa wasn't sure why she didn't talk to Erza (Lisa was certainly closer to her in terms of age), but Lisa thought it was the fact that Erza was almost always with Nick.

And Nick scared the hell out of Lisa.

"So you're only a year younger than your brother, huh?" Rochelle said, staring at Ellis's back. "You two look like twins."

"We've been told that a lot. I thought we grew out of that label."

"I guess not. If Ellis hadn't told us that you were his baby sister, I'd be thinking you two were twins," Rochelle replied.

Lisa smiled thinly but said nothing. While the school district looked peaceful, Lisa noticed that the others were still on the alert. Coach and Ellis scanned the left side of the block, while Nick and Erza were focused on the right side of the street.

Rochelle nodded at Lisa, and the two lapsed into silence. Lisa found it odd that the area wasn't teeming with Infected, considering that it was a school day.

_I hate Mondays_, Lisa thought, sighing.

"What's wrong?" Rochelle asked her.

"It's Monday. School day," Lisa said.

Rochelle nodded. "Yeah, but they canceled classes this morning. The evacuation started pretty early."

Lisa tried not to think of the kids who were Infected. It seemed so surreal that this new world was her reality, but she had no choice but to get used to it.

Ellis was telling Coach a story about his buddy Keith, and Lisa smiled. If there was one thing her brother loved to do, it was to tell all kinds of stories about Keith. Lisa knew that some of the stories seemed a little far-fetched, but most of them were true.

Well, okay, so Ellis did tend to go overboard and stretch the truth to make the stories sound "far out," but still, the basic elements were there.

Lisa's favorite story was the one where Keith nearly drowned in the Tunnel of Love in Whispering Oaks. Keith was with one of Lisa's classmates (Beth) that time, and she had told Lisa of how Keith fell backwards onto the river and called to her for help.

Since the river was pretty shallow, Beth thought that Keith could simply stand up and wade back towards their boat. But Keith persisted that she should save him, and Beth ended up leaving him.

"So then my buddy Keith said that we should do it anyway, and guess what? He fell off and broke both of his legs, his arm, and three of his ribs," Ellis finished with a flourish.

_Hmm. I think that must have been the time when Keith walked a tightrope that wasn't tied right_, Lisa thought.

Ellis cleared his throat and Coach looked at her brother warily, as if worried that Ellis might start another story. Instead, Ellis walked over to the huge billboard that was standing near the main entrance of the elementary school.

"Hey guys, look at this!" he called. The other Survivors walked towards him and looked at the many announcements that had been tacked to the board. Nick kept an eye on the road, but he glanced at the board every now and then.

The rest of the announcements had been papered over by several yellow flyers, which stated the locations of the various evac centers in the city. Two of these were in The Vannah and Liberty Mall, while the other two were at a train station and farmhouse.

"Which of the two is the nearest?" Erza asked. "Because we fucking know for sure that the mall and hotel are out of the question."

"The train station," Lisa replied. "The farmhouse is on the other side of the mall."

"And how far is it?" Nick called.

Lisa hesitated, giving Ellis time to answer. "About a twenty minute walk, tops."

"This is the goddamn zombie apocalypse," Nick retorted. "A twenty minute walk is going to take us, what? An hour?"

"Well you're free to stay here, Nick," Coach said.

Nick fell silent at Coach's words, but gave an exasperated sigh as they continued on. They had barely gone a few feet when they noticed that the road ahead was blocked by a pile-up of three school buses and several cars.

"Looks like some people didn't get the memo," Rochelle muttered. "Do you think the passengers are still inside?"

As if in response to her question, the door of one of the school buses burst open, revealing the Infected children inside. In unison, the zombified kids turned their heads towards the Survivors and gave a loud wail that gave Lisa goosebumps.

"Ah tits," Nick said. The horde rushed at them, their faces feral, inhuman. The Survivors slowly backed away, firing into the horde.

Ellis, Lisa, and Rochelle crouched, allowing Nick, Coach, and Erza to fire over their heads. Each Survivor picked a certain area of the horde to shoot at, dividing it into even "slices".

They were completely engrossed with shooting at the horde that they failed to spot the Jockey and Hunter behind them. The Jockey gleefully leaped onto Nick's back and started steering him towards the horde. He stumbled past Lisa and Ellis, frantically trying to shake the Jockey off of his back.

"Get this thing off my back!" he shouted, while the Jockey shrieked with devilish delight and gripped Nick's chin tighter.

"Little guy, little guy!" Ellis exclaimed, swinging his sniper rifle towards Nick, but Lisa pressed the trigger of her tactical shotgun repeatedly. The Jockey fell to the ground with a cry and was still.

"Thanks," Nick said, and Lisa nodded shortly and returned firing into the horde. Nick hesitated for a second, while Erza, torn between laughing at the sight of her cousin being ridden by a zombie and helping take down the undead schoolchildren, failed to see the Hunter until it had pounced on her and was clawing madly at her torso.

"Aaaaah! Get this shit off of me!" she screamed, trying to push the Hunter off her. She could feel blood spurt from the wounds on her stomach, and while she kneed the Hunter in the groin, it kept on attacking her with furious abandon.

Coach knocked the Hunter off with the butt of his shotgun and shot it point blank in the face, while Ellis helped her to her feet.

"Look at me," Ellis told her, and Erza's green eyes met his own blue ones. "You're going to be okay."

"Oh yeah? Well I sure don't feel like it," Erza groaned, clapping a hand over her stomach. She reached behind her and took her first aid kit, splashing hydrogen peroxide on her stomach, wincing slightly as it fizzled on her open wounds.

The others returned to their usual positions, although Nick provided Erza with the needed cover fire.

"Watch your backs!" Coach called, glancing over his shoulder. "Those two came at us from behind!"

Minutes later the horde was reduced to several stragglers, which Ellis and Erza took down using their sniper rifles.

"And that is how you do it!" Nick cried, grinning widely. He snapped the safety of his assault rifle on and rolled his shoulders, feeling the muscles stretch. The Jockey had ridden him pretty hard, and he could still feel the pressure of the Jockey's legs on his shoulders.

One by one, the other Survivors lowered their weapons, but Nick could see that Lisa was still staring at the dead children and the blood splatters on the side of the school bus. She blinked and, as if she sensed he was looking at her, turned her head slowly towards him.

"Hey Lisa, thanks," he said, smiling at her.

She gave him a small smile and nodded. "You're welcome."

Nick was about to start a conversation with her when Ellis walked in between them and put his arm around Lisa. "C'mon sis, stop being so sullen. Do you remember that time when you walked in on Keith and…"

"Ellis, if you tell that story to anyone else, I am going to kill you," Lisa said in one of the longest sentences Nick had ever heard her utter. Since this morning Lisa only spoke in phrases, and Nick was starting to wonder if she was the type who hid behind books and large glasses…an intellectual.

However, Nick observed that she was more herself with her brother around, but her serious façade remained.

Nick shrugged and turned to his cousin, who was ripping a bandage in half and tying it around her stomach. "Jesus Erza, you look like shit."

"Yeah, well thanks for coming to my rescue earlier," she snapped.

Nick rolled his eyes. "I was being dry humped by a freaking zombie, in case you didn't notice."

"Whatever." Erza flung the used first aid kit to the side and slung her sniper rifle over her shoulder. "Next time, don't you go fucking crying to me if you get pounded to death."

"As if. I never cry," Nick shot back.

"Boy, you to really like arguing, huh?" Ellis said, chuckling. Erza shrugged.

"What do you think?" she asked sarcastically.

"We need to get going," Lisa interrupted. "Plus I think I'm low on ammo."

"Only way past these buses is over them," Rochelle called.

The Survivors all winced; whether they wanted to admit it or not, the very thought of walking past all the dead bodies of kids brought a nasty taste to their mouths. But since they had no choice – the rest of the street was blocked – they followed Rochelle over the hood of one of the buses.

Ellis went through first, giving Rochelle, Lisa, and Erza a hand, while Coach and Nick watched the street for any Infected. Once they were satisfied that no Common or Special Infected were around, they joined the others on the other side of the pile-up.

Coach had a lot of difficulty climbing over the hood, and cursed his chubbiness as he heaved himself onto the hood.

"I gotta stop eatin' them goddamn pancakes," he wheezed, as Nick and Ellis helped tug him over the bus.

"Don't worry Coach, we're a-gonna do a lot of runnin' and jumpin'," Ellis told the older man. "You'll be sweating off the pounds in no time."

"Ain't that the truth," Coach answered, standing up. Lisa laughed softly and slid a few shells into her shotgun. "Whatchoo laughing at, baby girl?"

Lisa shook her head, smiling. "I just…now I know where I've seen you before."

Coach raised his eyebrow and fell into step beside Lisa, while the other Survivors continued down the road. "Really? Where?"

"The fund-raising event in Franklin High School a year ago," Lisa answered. "You came to my stall and demolished half of my blueberry pancakes."

Coach's eyes widened. "That was _you_?"

Lisa raised both her eyebrows in surprise. "Have I really changed that much in a year?"

"Well, yeah," Coach replied, looking at her up and down. "You were chubby then."

"See? Toldya you were chubby," Ellis said in a stage whisper. Lisa swatted her brother's arm and sighed.

"Yeah, I had to lose a few pounds," she admitted. "Doctor's orders."

"Just like Keith!" Ellis crowed. "Dunno why you didn't take one of his energy drinks."

"He gained 30 pounds, that's why." Lisa glanced at her brother, who was chuckling.

Ellis poked her in the stomach. "Yeah, but I have to admit, I miss poking your chummy tummy."

"Oh that is _it_!" Lisa leaped onto her brother's back, grabbing him in a headlock. Ellis laughed, jogging down the street ahead of the others.

"I'm starting to think we're babysitting," Erza muttered, watching as Ellis gave his sister a piggyback ride.

Nick murmured his agreement. "They don't even seem fazed by the fact that we're in the middle of a goddamn zombie apocalypse."

"Would you two stop horsing around?!" Coach cried as Ellis and Lisa returned. Lisa immediately jumped off her brother's back and pointed a warning finger at him.

"One more word, Ellis," she said, her eyes narrowing. "I mean it."

Rochelle chuckled. "Hard to believe Ellis is older than you, Lisa."

"Yeah, she's the mature one." Ellis clapped his sister on the back.

Nick sighed loudly. "Can we just get going?"

The Survivors headed down the street and, on Ellis's directions, turned down another side street that led into one of the cookie-cutter neighborhoods in the area.

"Safe room, safe room, safe room," Rochelle muttered under her breath.

"Safe room up ahead, people!" Coach announced, pointing to a spray painted sign of a house on a plywood board, which was propped up on the porch of one of the houses.

They all hurried towards it, but ended up skidding to a stop when they heard a gurgling noise.

"What the hell is making that sound?" Erza asked, frowning. Her fingers wrapped around her sniper rifle and she flipped the safety off.

"Sounds like someone vomiting," Rochelle answered, doing a double take when she noticed Erza raising an eyebrow at her. "What? My brother Jacob sounds like that during his hangovers."

"Fat guy!" Nick spotted the massive Boomer waddle behind a clump of bushes. Rochelle raised her assault rifle and fired several bursts, and the Boomer exploded. "Nice shot!"

Rochelle smiled and followed Ellis and Lisa, who were already walking towards the house. A zombified housewife was in the kitchen; she raised her head and growled as Ellis stepped through the threshold. He killed her with a point blank shot and proceeded to enter the safe room, which was in the basement.

Once everyone was inside, Ellis shut the door and slid a metal bar across it. "We knocked the piss out of them!"

"Don't get too cocky, kid," Nick told him with a frown. "We just crossed a few blocks."

Ellis shrugged, his usual grin plastered on his face. "But you gotta admit, that was some awesome shit!"

Behind Nick, Lisa and Erza started sifting through the ammo pile; Lisa handed Erza several clips for the sniper rifle and pocketed several shells for her shotgun.

"So," Erza began. She really didn't feel like talking to the girl, considering Lisa had done nothing but glare at her since they met on the rooftop.

_Maybe she's one of those overprotective younger sisters who doesn't like sharing her brother with another girl_, Erza thought with distaste.

Lisa shifted slightly, as if she was uncomfortable with Erza's presence. With a huff, Erza stood still.

_If you don't like standing near me, you better be the one to move_, she thought, resisting the urge to glare at Lisa. _Because I ain't moving until I'm finished reloading my gun_.

But Lisa stayed, counting the number of shells she slid into her pocket. Finally she looked at Erza and muttered something that sounded like "I'm done" and went to her brother. Erza turned her head and saw that she wasn't the only one looking at Lisa; her cousin was _still_ checking the girl out.

Erza sighed and took the last clip that she needed before moving away from the ammo pile.

"So, what are your stories?" Ellis asked.

Nick groaned. "Jesus Christ, what is this, play group?"

"Hey it won't hurt to know more about who you're travelin' with," Ellis insisted. "Come on, I'll start!"

Beside him Lisa crossed her legs. "We could just do this on the way to the train station, Ellis."

"Yeah, good point," Nick agreed, and Erza rolled her eyes. "We need to move our asses."

Ellis looked disappointed, but he nodded and followed the others out of the safe room. Erza snagged a first aid kit on the way out and strapped it to her back. She didn't feel like telling strangers who she and Nick were before shit hit the fan, but it looked like she didn't have a choice.


	4. Dead Line: Chapter 4

Erza had to hand it to Ellis: he was determined to make friends with everybody. He personally went to each one of them and asked some questions about who they were before the outbreak – Rochelle preferred to call it the Infection instead of the zombie apocalypse – and by the time they had spotted the signs for the train station, everyone knew something about each other.

Coach was a former football player who was forced to retire and give up what would have been a promising football career due to a knee injury. He became a sports and health instructor in Franklin High School in Savannah, and was supposed to help the evacuation efforts in the school. However, his cousin had called him early that morning, and Coach decided to catch up to the other teachers instead of riding in the car with them. Coach had spotted the said car on his way to the hotel: the vehicle had crashed against a telephone pole and all the occupants were dead. If he had gone with the other teachers, Coach would most likely have died. It was his cousin's call that saved his life.

Rochelle was an associate producer from Cleveland who was sent to Savannah to cover CEDA's evacuation efforts. It became clear to her that the city was quickly falling, and she and her cameraman, Bart, had made their way to the hotel in the hopes of being rescued. Bart succumbed to the Green Flu and Rochelle was forced to leave him behind.

Nick and Erza gave only vague answers to Ellis's questions, but it was clear that these two cousins had a dark, shady, and even criminal past. Ellis and Lisa were relatively more open, admitting that they had a joint auto mechanic and diner business in the city.

"She makes the best waffles and pancakes," Ellis gushed, and Lisa sighed. "Just put her in front of a stove and she can make a great meal out of corned beef in a can and some water."

Erza raised an eyebrow, while Lisa buried her face in her hands. "Stop embarrassing me, Ellis."

"What? I'm just proud to have a sister like you." Ellis poked Lisa, who retaliated with a poke of her own.

"Here they go again," Nick muttered, and sure enough the two were soon locked in a small poking war.

"Eyes on the road, people, eyes on the road," Coach reminded them, and Ellis and Lisa stopped, but not before the former wiggled his fingers against Lisa's ticklish spots. She shrieked and jumped away from him, bumping into Nick in the process.

"Sorry," Lisa said, her cheeks turning pink. "Ellis!"

"Hey man, I didn't do nothin'!" Ellis protested, but he was grinning like a hyena.

"Do you two _ever_ act your age?" Erza asked with a frown.

Ellis shrugged while Lisa remained silent. Erza rolled her eyes, while Nick walked ahead of the group and joined Rochelle in searching the street for Infected. The group soon caught up to them, with Coach muttering about kids losing their focus and the fact that he hadn't eaten since this morning.

They got out of the neighborhood without much action, which Ellis didn't seem to like.

"Aw come on man! This is the zombie apocalypse! We should be going down the street, guns blazing, and shooting the shit out of those sons of bitches!" Ellis declared.

"Be careful what you wish for, Ellis," Nick warned him. "We might just run into a horde."

"Nothing we can't handle," Ellis said with maddening confidence. Nick rolled his eyes while Lisa gave her brother a sharp glance.

A few minutes after this exchange, Rochelle shot an Infected that was lingering in front of an alarmed car. The bullet sliced through the zombie's torso and tore a hole in the car door, activating the alarm. It emitted loud shrieks, alerting a horde from the nearby houses.

"Is this what you've been asking for?" Nick shouted at Ellis, who had raised his sniper rifle and begun firing at the approaching zombies.

"Hell yeah!" Ellis crowed, downing several zombies that were rushing at him full on. Beside Nick, Lisa was sliding shells into her shotgun, choosing her shots carefully. Coach and Rochelle had hopped onto the car – since the alarm had been activated, they didn't worry about alerting the horde more – and were killing the zombies that were closing in on the other Survivors.

"Re-fucking-loading!" Erza yelled, stepping back to eject her spent clip. She slipped a new one from her pocket and back into the rifle.

"Look out!" Ellis spotted a zombie rushing towards Erza, who was busy reloading her rifle. He sighted the zombie using his sniper rifle scope and pressed the trigger, slamming a bullet into the zombie's brain.

Erza jumped slightly as the dead Infected fell against her, leaving a blood smear on her arm. "Thanks Ellis!"

Ellis smiled and nodded, returning to his position. The horde kept on coming, and every so often the Survivors were forced to shove the zombies away to give them better room to shoot.

Most of the Infected had their bodies intact, but Lisa was able to spot a number of zombies that had gaping gut wounds, missing limbs, and empty eye sockets. She wondered when the horde would stop rushing at them when a vicious roar rang through the air.

"Holy shit! Big freaking zombie!" Nick cried, spotting the Tank as it lumbered out from the side of one of the house.

"Shit!" Lisa swung her shotgun towards the Tank, firing the eight shells that she had reloaded into it. As she fired the last shot, she and Nick, who was shooting determinedly at the massive Infected, walked backwards as fast as they dared.

Erza and Ellis managed to dodge the Tank's approach, which was now focused on the conman and the waitress.

"Lisa keep shootin'! Keep shootin'!" Ellis yelled, using his scope to fire at the Tank's head.

"Shit shit shit shit," Lisa chanted, reloading her shotgun feverishly. Her palms felt sweaty, and she knew that the Tank was gaining on her every second.

"Lisa!" Ellis was practically squawking now, but Lisa forced herself to focus on firing at the Tank. Beside her Nick let his empty clip fall to the ground, while simultaneously taking a new one from his jacket pocket.

Lisa fired at the Tank, seeing huge red marks erupt from where the bullets were entering its body. The Tank growled and raised a huge, meaty fist. The Tank slammed it against Lisa and Nick, throwing them clear across the street.

The two landed with a thud on one of the front yards.

"Ow," Lisa muttered, raising a hand to her head. Nick slowly sat up and saw the other Survivors concentrate their gunfire at the Tank, which roared and waved its large arms. Seconds later the Tank gave one final roar and fell with a heavy thud on the concrete. "What _was_ that thing?"

Nick got back on his feet and helped her up. "Not sure, but I think they call that shithead a Tank."

"No kidding?" Lisa winced, rubbing the spot where the Tank had punched her. "I certainly feel like I've been run over by one."

"Yeah, I know the feeling. You okay?" Nick asked.

Lisa nodded, and Nick studied her for a few seconds before the two joined the others, who were finishing off the final members of the horde. Ellis turned his head and saw Lisa, who was clutching her stomach.

"Lisa, you okay?" he asked, his brow knitted.

Lisa nodded and waved the air slightly. "Just got sucker punched by a Tank. I'm cool."

"Everyone okay?" Coach called, looking at them all. "Nobody got broken bones or anything like that?"

"Nope."

"Nuh-uh."

"I'm good."

Coach nodded, satisfied. "Okay, we dealt with that horde. Time to move on. Hopefully the evac center hasn't been overrun yet."

Ellis and Lisa led the group out of the neighborhood. The auto-mechanic was fussing over her, saying that she needed to use her first aid kit or down some pain pills.

"I'm fine," she kept on saying, and Nick could tell she was trying hard not to lose her temper. Finally Ellis dropped the subject, but kept an annoyingly close watch over her.

"I see a sign for the train station," Rochelle reported. Erza sighed in relief, and Ellis pumped his fist in the air.

"We're almost out of here, people! Just a few more feet and we'll be home free!" Coach was excited beyond belief.

The Survivors walked briskly, finally passing the edge of Savannah.

"Aw hell," Coach muttered, seeing the scene of utter chaos and destruction that lay before them. "We're too late."


	5. Dead Line: Chapter 5

The train station was destroyed. The tents that CEDA and the military had erected to help them manage the flow of evacuees had toppled over, and some of the tents had blood splatters over them.

Corpses lay in and around the train station and the Survivors could hear the distinct buzzing of flies.

Lisa felt her stomach heave. "I think…"

She didn't finish her sentence; she keeled over and vomited what remained of her dinner. Ellis held her hair away from her face and patted her back.

"Now I think I'm going to throw up," Erza muttered, trying not to stare at the puke on the ground.

"If you do, don't you dare throw up on my suit," Nick warned her. Erza narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"So what now?" she asked, her tone dripping with disdain. "We just missed the fucking deadline, didn't we? We're stuck here forever."

"Nah, we can always use that train to get outta here," Ellis answered, pointing to the red train parked just beyond the train station. "I've been here sometimes. Them engineers always left buckets of coal around just in case them coal operators left early. If we gather enough coal, we can fire up the engine and drive the hell out."

Coach rubbed his chin, thinking. "Hell, we got nothing else to do, I say we try it!"

Ellis grinned while Lisa wiped a speck of drool from the corner of her mouth. Rochelle rested her assault rifle on her shoulder and nodded, and the cousins gave identical nods.

Ellis quickly explained the layout of the train station. There were two main entrances, one on either side of the building. The waiting platform was on the other side of the tracks, and was accessible using an underground tunnel. The buckets of coal were usually close to the maintenance room, which was close to the stairs that led to the underground tunnel.

"Basically we gotta find about ten buckets of coal to start the engine," Ellis finished.

"Someone better stay inside the train and get ready to fire it up," Rochelle suggested. "Ellis, you know how to drive a train?"

"Uh, no," he admitted. "But I did go with one of my pop's friends who used to be a train engineer when I was a kid. He showed me some of the controls."

"Does anyone else know how to drive a goddamn train?" Nick looked at the others, who shook their heads. "Great. You stay in the train, Ellis. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're now too valuable to lose."

"But wait! What about Lisa?" Ellis looked at his sister and then back at Nick. "You gonna take care of her, right?"

Erza snorted and Nick shot his cousin a Look.

"Ellis, I can take care of myself, you know," Lisa said through clenched teeth. While she did find Nick handsome, his personality and negativity really turned her off. Plus she wasn't sure she trusted him; he reminded her too much of one of her ex-boyfriends.

"Stick close to Nick, ya hear?" Ellis whispered, squeezing her hand. Erza joined Rochelle and Coach, who were both headed to the entrance on the right side of the station.

"Okay okay," Lisa grumbled. "You take care of yourself. I don't know why someone couldn't have gone with you to watch your back."

Ellis just grinned at her and Lisa sighed. He may be her older brother, but right now he was acting like a five year old.

The train station wasn't devoid of any Infected, and the Survivors had to shoot several zombies that were simply standing inside the structure. Most of these were wearing casual clothes, which indicated that they were part of the evacuee group. A few of the Infected, on the other hand, were wearing overalls.

Nick rubbed his nose and sniffed. "Smells like something died in here."

"How about an entire city's worth?" Lisa replied darkly. "I think I'm going to throw up. Again."

Ellis reached for her hair again, but Lisa held her hand up. "Do you guys hear that?"

"Quiet y'all, I hear a bitch," Coach called from the other side of the room. Erza and Nick switched off the flashlights that were connected to their rifles.

"Ain't this a bitch," Nick muttered, running his hand on the brick wall. The lobby of the building was nearly pitch black, but as they made their way further in the cries of the Witch grew louder and louder.

"Nobody bump into her," Ellis whispered, his voice shaking slightly. "Because we don't want her to-"

The Witch's cries had progressed to growls, which grew in volume. Lisa squinted, but she could only make out something red in a few feet ahead of them.

"Someone's pissing the Witch off!" Nick snapped the safety off his rifle. "Don't move, damn it!"

Lisa and Ellis froze, the latter placing a protective arm over his sister. They could hear the other three Survivors inch forward, and the Witch's grows suddenly pierced through the lobby. The Witch gave a sharp cry, followed by Rochelle's surprised gasp.

"My bad, my bad, my bad!" she cried, running backwards. Coach and Erza shot at the Witch, who was chasing after Rochelle with surprising speed. The Witch's claws managed to snag Rochelle's torso, knocking her to the ground.

The Witch wasted no time bending over Rochelle, slashing away at Rochelle's stomach and chest. Rochelle screamed in pain and grappled for her rifle.

"Shoot that bitch!" Coach cried, and Lisa, Nick, and Ellis darted forward, their guns barking rhythmically. Rochelle twisted to the side in an attempt to avoid the Witch's attack, but this only succeeded in having the Witch leave deep gashes on her side.

"Aaaaaah!" Rochelle whimpered, feeling the blood – her blood – wash over her. "Shoot her!"

The Witch managed to leave a few more slashes on Rochelle's side before dying; the sobbing Infected fell to the ground with a sharp cry and became still.

Coach hurried to the girl and saw the wounds. He clicked his tongue and took out his first aid kit. The other Survivors clustered around the two, making sure that no Common or Special Infected sneaked up on them.

"Thanks Coach," Rochelle said, as he helped her to her feet. "I thought I was a goner."

"No problem, Ro." Coach patted Rochelle on the shoulder reassuringly. "Now let's get those coal buckets."

Lisa, Nick, and Ellis returned to the left side of the station, and Coach, Rochelle, and Erza walked on the right. There were no more Witches in the area, so Nick switched his flashlight on and guided them down to the underground tunnel.

"Found one!" Nick announced, picking up a coal bucket that was lying near the bottom of the stairs.

"I'll go on ahead and start the train," Ellis offered, heading down the tunnel. Lisa made a move to follow him, but he waved her off. "Stay with Nick, okay?"

Lisa sighed and nodded. She turned to see the conman grinning at her, and she frowned slightly. "What?"

"Guess it's just you and me, sweetheart," he said, and Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Let's just get the coal buckets." Lisa followed Nick down the tunnel, bumping into Erza as she and Coach emerged from one of the alcoves. The older girl was carrying a coal bucket, and Rochelle was strafing the area, looking for Infected.

"Having a hard time dealing with my cousin, eh?" Erza said sarcastically. "Just kick his ass if he tries feeling you up."

Lisa didn't know what to say to that, so she remained silent. Nick and Erza found Ellis inside the locomotive, and they handed the coal buckets to him.

"We need eight more," Ellis reminded them, and the two groups split up once more.

Nick followed Lisa across the platform, where she grabbed a coal bucket that was half-hidden behind a bench. Just as her fingers wrapped around the handle of the bucket, they heard the distinct howl of an Infected horde.

"Get ready!" Nick raised his assault rifle and fired at the Infected that rushed towards them from the train tracks. The zombies were intent on getting to the two Survivors on the platform that they failed to see Ellis hiding inside the front cab. "Spitter!"

The slack-jawed Spitter launched a huge gob of acid at Nick and Lisa, who was forced to set the bucket down and leap onto the bench to avoid the stinging acid. Lisa raised her shotgun and fired into the faces of several Infected that were clawing at her and Nick, while the conman successfully downed the Spitter.

"Nice," Lisa said, smiling at Nick for the first time.

Nick tilted his head cockily and watched as Lisa jumped down from the bench and grabbed the coal bucket again. The two hurried towards Ellis, who dumped the coal inside the engine and tossed the bucket out on the other side.

"Where are the others?" he asked. Lisa shrugged as she and Nick sprinted back onto the platform, this time opting to go down on the tracks.

"There's one," Nick said, pointing at a coal bucket that was wedged between the two wheels. Lisa darted forward and tugged at it, but the bucket refused to budge.

"A little help," she called, and Nick went over, gripping the edge of the bucket and giving a strong tug. The bucket pulled free and several pieces of coal went tumbling to the floor. Lisa quickly gathered these and put them back in the bucket, but as she stood up she saw a Boomer standing a few inches behind Nick. "Boomer!"

Nick turned around just as the Boomer spat bile into his face and he clamped his mouth shut; he certainly didn't want any Boomer bile in his mouth. Instead, Nick ducked to the ground, giving Lisa space to fire at the Boomer, which exploded in a hail of blood and guts. The lower half of the Boomer rolled on the ground, the two chubby legs pointing straight up.

"God that's nasty," Nick commented, as he followed Lisa onto the platform. The Boomer bile was attracting a lot of Infected, and Lisa helped Nick fight off the zombies as they descended on him.

Erza's group soon appeared, with Rochelle and Coach carrying two more buckets of coal. Erza was shooting at a horde that had followed them through the tunnel, while Rochelle and Coach hurried to Ellis and handed him the coal.

"A little help!" Erza and Lisa said at the same time. Rochelle joined Erza in shoving the Infected back, while Coach shot at a Jockey that had joined the other zombies on the platform.

"Four more!" Ellis called, just as Erza and Lisa killed the last two zombies. Lisa got her coal bucket and handed it to her brother, who dumped the contents in the engine. He had successfully gotten a blazing fire going, and steam was now coming out of the spout.

"Let's check the tunnel again," Lisa said to Nick, who nodded and followed her down the steps. The two walked down one of the tunnel's branching hallways, spotting two buckets standing close to a pile of rubble.

They each grabbed a bucket and started to make their way back, when the roars of a Tank reached their ears.

"Oh come on!" Nick exclaimed, as the Tank came into view. "Just run!"

Lisa and Nick turned and ran away from the Tank, feeling the ground shake as the huge Infected ran after them. The tunnel hampered the Tank's movements, giving the two Survivors a slight advantage. They burst into the main tunnel and ran like mad towards the steps.

"Tank on our ass!" Nick cried as they ran past Erza and Coach. The two Survivors' eyes widened, and they turned towards the opening of the tunnel. A split second later they ran down the steps and gunshots soon rang out.

"Here!" Lisa handed Ellis the two buckets she and Nick had gotten. Rochelle came up to them, holding another. "Wait! I see one!"

Lisa broke from the group and ran to the front of the train, where a bucket of coal was almost lying on its side. She shoved the coal pieces into the bucket and ran back to Ellis.

Nick and Rochelle were now helping Erza and Coach take the Tank down.

"Start the goddamn train!" Nick yelled, as the Tank squeezed its body out of the tunnel and ran towards Erza and Coach, who were backing up the stairs.

"Ellis, now would be a good time," Lisa whispered. Ellis tossed the last bucket out and studied the controls feverishly. Lisa saw beads form on her brother's forehead and she cursed softly. She turned away from him and unsnapped the safety of her shotgun, firing over Nick and Rochelle's heads.

"What the fuck is taking your brother so long?" Erza demanded, as Lisa ran up to her.

"He's doing his best, okay?" Lisa answered, and Erza gritted her teeth.

"Fine. We kill this motherfucker and get on the train!" Erza reloaded, while Rochelle and Nick gave her cover fire. Lisa and Coach were on the left side of the platform, while Erza, Rochelle, and Nick had bunched up close to the engine.

For some reason the Tank decided to go after Erza, who he knocked against the side of the train car.

"This thing's killing me!" she screamed, as the Tank raised a meaty arm and pounded her to the ground. "Shoot this fucker!"

The remaining Survivors concentrated their fire, with Lisa jumping onto the rail and spraying the Tank's head with shotgun shells. Several tense heartbeats later, the Tank staggered backwards and fell. The ground shook slightly as the Tank landed on the floor.

"Let's get you on your feet, Erza," Rochelle said, pulling the younger girl to her feet. Erza shook slightly, and she jumped as Lisa started patching her up.

"You're fine," Lisa said softly, dabbing medicine on the bruises that were forming. Lisa wrapped bandages over some of the wounds, while Nick hovered nearby.

"Let's get going!" Ellis called from the train, and the Survivors hopped inside the train car, Erza with some difficulty.

"Where do these tracks lead?" Rochelle asked Lisa.

"All the way to Georgia. But we might not have enough coal to make it that far," Lisa answered as the train pulled out of the station.

"Anywhere's better than here," Coach said, taking a seat.

Lisa walked over to the window and took one last look at the city. As the train picked up speed, Lisa turned away and sat down beside Rochelle and Nick.

"Hey Lisa you okay?" Ellis bellowed over the noise of the engine.

"I'm fine!" Lisa leaned back and placed the shotgun between her thighs. She looked up just as the train turned the bend and Savannah vanished from sight.

_That was close._


End file.
